NoBs Digital Dogbowl
The NoBs Digital Dogbowl Newsletter:
Keeping you up to date and informed on the latest, coolest, and outrageous happenings inside the world of NoBS Photo Success.
Loaded with Free photography tips, Photoshop tutorials, photo reviews,
and other totally relevant essentials. Be sure to check out the whole thing!
March 2008 Digital Dogbowl
SELL, SELL, SELL Part 2 by Rob Provencher
GETTING THE PROSPECT TO CALL
The primary goal with most marketing is getting your client or prospect to call. They must, at some point, be motivated enough and eager enough to at least call you and consider your photographic services. Everything you do, marketing wise, involves reaching this goal. Selling is an integral part of all those marketing steps. Everything you do, every step, action, proposal, campaign, ad, sales letter, display, business card hand out - whatever it is, it's job is to get them to call. You better give them enough reasons. Some of the smartest marketers in the world equate this to being one of the toughest jobs going. Some even go so far as to have you imagine your prospect as a huge sloth-like creature, stuck to a couch, remote in hand, unable, unwilling, and unmotivated to move, let alone call your studio.
Member of the Month: Ramarue
In December 2006 I picked up my husband's D70 and a book about photography with a goal in mind. I wanted to take the camera off Auto and learn how to take real pictures. I joined NOBS two weeks later hoping to learn more about how cameras work and how to achieve good natural lighting when photographing my two kids. Photography quickly became an addiction that kept me up late at night, searching NOBS for more tricks and tips, etc. I know it sounds cheesy, but I felt like something inside of my soul was awakened and I felt very inspired to take photography as far as I could.
Why Easy Buttons Drive Me Crazy by Bill Guy
Give me a minute to drag out my soapbox for this rant. For those of you who put up with it, there will be a quick and easy button Photoshop tip for white balance correction hidden in this article.
If there is one question that comes up a lot in my classes, it is “What is the easy way to do this?”. This can be for color balance, layer correction, selections, or really anything to do with Photoshop. So many people today are used to a one button fix that they no longer want to understand the how only the results. It would be great if these “Easy Buttons” worked all the time, but they don’t. Plus, it will be the times when they don’t work that it is most critical in terms of time or money.
NoBS Members Enjoy Success At WPPI
Have you ever given thought to participating in a print competition? Not only does it push you creatively beyond your comfort zone, but it also gives you added credibility in the eyes of your clients, especially if you win. NoBS provides you with the tools you need to succeed and raise your photography to the elite level of competition as was evidenced by the successful showing of several NoBS members at WPPI this year.
Congratulations to NoBS members Andy Armstrong, Kelly Scaccia, Brian Little, Doxa Coates, Julie Lowry, and Steve and Shelley Harrington who submitted entries and won honors at WPPI 2008.
Focusing On Babies
NoBS member Sandy Schurz (aka photafreak) recently shared with other NoBS members how she conducts her baby studio business as well as materials she designed. To read more, click here . If you like Sandy's designs, you're in luck; NoBS members will soon be able to partake of Sandy's designs. Thanks, Sandy!
March Monthly Chat
I would like to thank everyone who attended our last chat room meeting on March 9th. A special thank you to my guest that evening, Kris Gay. She shared a lot of information about the do's and don'ts when you are trying to open a photography business. There was also some discussion about marketing and, of course, photography. You can read the transcript of the meeting in my section "The Digital Shop Talk".
Our next meeting will take place in May and my guest will be...You'll have to wait till the next newsletter to find out who it is! lol
On a personal note, I will be attending our National Convention in London, Ontario in April. The great news is that both Rob and James will be speakers at the convention so it will be nice to see both of them. Haven't seen them since Inferno and it's been a long winter with a lot of snow in my part of Canada. Of course, there will be other members of the forum that will be attending the convention so a great reunion will take place!
Dan Morency aka The NoBS Stalker
Is NoBS Too Precious To Share?
Here's an interesting question for you. Do you tell local photographers about your secret weapon, NoBS? It's an interesting quandary for sure. On the one hand, each of us is here because we want to gain an edge over our competition. Wouldn't it be business suicide to tell local competitors about NoBS? On the flip side, we've come to expect photographers here on NoBS Photo Success forum to be as open and helpful as possible when we need information.
This honesty is, by far, the most endearing quality of NoBS; ask just about any question under the sun and you are sure to get a no-holds barred response. You get nothing but the good, bad, and ugly truth about all things photography and marketing. Why is this? The answer surely must be that no one on the forum feels threatened because everyone lives so far apart so as not to be "true" competition. But, that could not be further from the truth. Many members, in fact, do live relatively close to each other and coexist peacefully.
Instead, it could perhaps be explained by cofounder Rob Provencher's firm belief in the law of abundance. There is plenty of business to go around for everyone.
You can read more about what NoBS members think about sharing in this recent thread. Opinions definitely differed on whether sharing is a good thing. Check it out and please feel free to chime in on how you feel about sharing your most prized treasure, NoBS.
Video Tutorials by Hodgy
This month Hodgy gives us three videos. The first one is a quick and simple set up for a dynamic head shot which is perfect for high school seniors who what that high fashion look.
Next up is a video that shows how Hodgy does his baby shoots. This one covers all that goes into setting it up, from the bean bag to the lighting, and finishes up with the actual photographing of the baby.
And finally, the last video shows how to do a NoBS workflow to really make those baby images pop!
StudioZap Suite 3 Released
StudioZap has just released StudioZap Suite 3, a new upgrade to their cool Photoshop tools. Macintosh users will be happy to hear that the Suite is now compatible with the Mac.
Some of the enhancements in version 3 include: updated textures in Eazy Mats (an easy-to-use tool for creating realistic looking digitally-matted prints), enhanced template creation tools for Proofs & Prints (the amazing .psd-file based auto-template system that makes creating
web-sized images, proofs, proofbooks and print products a snap), and the super-cool, brand-new "Insert Image" tool in Albums & Collages. It's never been easier to place an image -- whether you have a template or not -- without all the time-intensive dragging, cropping, resizing and positioning. It's definitely worth checking out the "Insert Image" demonstration video on the StudioZap web site.
And to celebrate the release of version 3 and Mac-compatibility, StudioZap is offering NoBs members special 33% discount
Somebody Loves Us
Hi James,
I am sending you this PM to say thank you so much for the NoBS forum. I have been working really hard for a year reading everything I can get my hands on about photography, Photoshop, lighting, and so on. I can honestly say in the last few weeks I have learned more from this forum that I have in an entire year. This was a brilliant idea for you guys to start this and it has taken the frustration and BS out of learning photography.
Sincerely,
Dawn Schubert
Ricky and Mike's Post Processing
Interested in learning how to do Ricky and TimesTwo's (Mike) post processing? NoBS member Paco got this great thread going, which explains how to achieve the look. Stay tuned as Mike has promised to provide a tutorial on how he does his unique color range selection and effects.
Digital Photographer Design System by Andy Armstrong
I’m covered in monkeys – Funky Monkeys, Spunky Monkeys, Crunky Monkeys, and even a Polar Monkeys – but I am getting some help with them. Our own calgal (Julie Lowry) and the “better half of Team Steve,” Shelley have been helping wrangle and tame all of them and more. Yep, the monkeys are part of the new digital photographer design system I’m working on, and they’ve been gracious enough to take time out of their busy schedules to help me beta test it.
NoBS Workspaces
Did you know that your workspace speaks volumes about your personality? So says a study published three years ago by psychology professor Sam Gosling, whose study "A Room With a Cue: Personality Judgments Based on Offices and Bedrooms." revealed five character traits.
The five character traits revealed were openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness. To read the study go here .
Taking their cue from Hodgy (James), NoBS members decided to show off their workspaces revealing some interesting personalities to say the least! To see your fellow NoBS photographers' workspaces click on this link.
March Photo of the Month- MichaelTree
Congrats to Michael Tree for creating this month's photo. Here's what he had to say about this awesome wedding capture.
"We created several car images on this day, but this one was one of my favorites. The idea was to get the couple to wave their hands just as they started on their way up the hill.
I am not sure how it would have looked half way up the hill so I think we got the right spot for this one. All in all a great day with lots of fun car shots on the dusty road leading to the reception."
Pump your portfolio with Times Two Studios
Times Two Studios were contacted by one of our Studio Partners, Alison (forum member imaginphoto) to help with some senior images for her portfolio and for the PPOC competition. The results generated a lot of interest on the forum, and had us wondering...how many people out there could use a spring clean to their portfolio?
This month, Rob brings us an interview with our very own Lisa Marie. She is a very informative and dynamic photographer, with many helpful tips on pricing, consultations, and marketing to seniors. To hear the interview click here .
Straight to you from the 2008 NoBS Marketing Calendar thread comes this great idea for keeping in touch with your customers and building loyalty. The website, Send Out Cards, will send personalized cards out to your customers automatically for occasions such as birthdays and holidays.
A hot topic this month on the forum was how to do a proper monitor calibration. While it is easy to take for granted that your color monitor is properly calibrated, several members stressed the importance of proper calibration and shared their methods of achieving that. To learn more, click here.
Have you been to the Dangerous Downloads section on the forum lately? If so, you'll notice a new and very user-friendly format. Those great downloads you are entitled to as a NoBS member are now even easier to find. What's your excuse now for not taking advantage of all NoBS has to offer?
Silverlake Backdrop Tip
Photosensitive recently voiced frustration over the stiffness of her new Silverlake backdrop. If you've had the same issue, check out this thread where Travis Gadsby of Silverlake gives instructions on removing the fold lines and making your Silverlake backdrop soft and manageable.
Continuing in the spirit of the current official linkswap, NoBS members are now swapping videos in order to boost their page rank and web presence. To get involved, go to this NoBS link .
NoBS members posted their images from the recent WPPI in Las Vegas. To see members' pics go to this link .
The Washington State School For The Deaf is in dire need of digital cameras for their photography students. If you have an old point and shoot digital camera you'd like to donate please read this post for details on where to send it. Thanks and good luck to Denise and Tammy who are trying to help the school get cameras for their students!
Ever needed an AC outlet in the middle of nowhere to juice up your high powered flash to fill a scene tip to tip with sun balanced light? Look no further… Here comes the Innovatronix Tronix Explorer XT!
Mike from Times Two Studios has spent quite a bit of time researching photographer's websites and has come up with a list of mistakes that are made all too often. Are you guilty of any of these offenses?
Making a Color Line
Resident Photoshop guru, Bill Guy, recently shared this gem with a NoBS member looking for help to make a color line in Photoshop. To learn more, go to this NoBS link.
Get the scoop HERE.
Digital Painting Forum is giving NO BS Members a Discount on their membership and a special offer! Other deals are there also if they sign up for one of my upcoming ASHEVILLE WORKSHOPS! Special offer codes HERE.
Craig Minielly, aka Gruffer, just announced that Craig's newest Actions, the Production Assistants, can now be used to create Lightroom Presets! To see the link to the tutorial go to this NoBS link .
Clem had the pleasure of spending two days with Bambi Cantrell in Las Vegas at WPPI. One of his assignments was to shoot with whatever light he could find. Check out some of the awesome images here.
Artist Julie Anderson paints digital images for photographers. She is really inexpensive so that you can easily mark it up. If you have a room where you can display or do any kind of booth, these would be extremely popular.
Watch for more NoBS group buys!
Unlike our eyes, which wonderfully adjust to let us know what is white in any lighting condition, our cameras have a much more difficult time with this. The key to getting perfect color balance is by setting a custom white balance for each situation. It's not difficult once you know how.